President Joe Biden extended Deferral of Enforced Departure (DED) and employment authorization for Liberians from June 30, 2022 until June 30, 2024. On September 6, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published instructions regarding that implementation in the Federal Register.
Those who are eligible for the extension are Liberians who:
- Are present in the United States and have been under a grant of DED since June 30, 2022; or
- Have continuously resided in the United States since May 20, 2017.
Eligible Liberians who do not have Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) may apply. Those who already have EADs with the following expiration dates will have their work authorization automatically extended until June 30, 2024, and do not need to reapply:
- March 30, 2020
- January 10, 2021
- June 30, 2022
Eligible Liberians may also apply for travel authorization. DHS warns that those who leave the United States without travel authorization may lose their DED eligibility and may not be able to return to the United States.
Employers completing or updating Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, may refer to the Liberia DED page, which provides confirmation that employees whose EADs have an expiration date of March 30, 2020, January 10, 2021, or June 30, 2022, and state A-11 under the Category heading, are automatically extended through June 30, 2024. After June 30, 2024, employers will be required to reverify the employees’ work authorization on Form I-9.
